Sheffield is set to get a theme park in a 30 acre plot of land at Parkwood springs next to the ski village, the park "X-mountain" is estimated to create 600 jobs. Plans include restaurants, hotel, bars, appartments and possibly an amphitheatre.
The park itself will have an alpine feel, with an indoor snowdome and state of the art rides.
The park could open within 3 years and will be built in phases.
Plans are subject to grants and funding.

Fantastic!

p.s. great avatar duffman :thumbsup:

Plans are subject to funding etc, and probably a huge mountain of council red tape no doubt.

Sorry, but I'm in a cynical mood this evening.

Thanks!

He is a hero to me so I needed a good shot of him :D

No doubt about the "red tape" 3 years could become 5,6 or 7 or never!

Indeed, if we see the theme park open this side of 2010 we'll have done well.

The nearist bus route is the 53 (15 mins walk away) there is of course just underneath the Ski Village the old Sheffield Victoria - Manchester Via Woodhead Line.

What a great idea build a station there and have a conecting train service from Sheffield Midland.

DOH!!!:loopy: Sorry I fogot, this is Sheffield, S.Y.P.T.E are to STUPID to think of that idea:loopy:

I can’t see why there should be too much "red tape" to stop this. There may be other more technical problems like the road infrastructure – the Ski Village has an appalling road that doesn't have the capacity at the moment. Upgrading may include buying more land / premises before the cost of the new road itself. The biggie will be the amount of funding needed compared to the potential income that it will generate. Expect to see watered down versions of some of the plans as it happens piecemeal.

Good luck to the Ski Village and its owners (it’s not the Council). It is an ambitious plan that deserves lots of success!

Yes, good luck to them, I hope it happens and is a success. It will be a good thing to have in the city, it should attract people to the area not just for a day out, but for short breaks, plus I'm sure locals may make good use of the facilities.

In terms if transport there, and Mr Bus Drivers comments, I'm afraid I do not think the rail link option would be the right thing to do, as frankly X-Mountain alone would not generate sufficient business for the railway to justify such a large start up cost. The fares paid for Sheffield-Parkwood springs would be low yield, and passengers would probably just travel there in the morning and back in the afternoon, that would be just 2 runs! You must remember that whilst the track is there running past the site, that line does not run to Sheffield 'Midland' station. It goes over the wicker arches and joins the Sheffield to Lincoln line. From that junction the train has a choice of 3 places to go - left onto the woodbourn jn freight line round the back of the arena through tinsley to Rotherham OR, straight on through Darnall and Woodhouse and onto Worksop, or right via Beighton to Chesterfield. To get to Sheffield station the train would have to go to Tinsley and reverse. Then of course a trackside walking route would have to be created for the driver to change ends and phone the signalman. The line would have to be upgraded for passenger use and the journey time would be long. For that reason the only way you could justify creating the train service if it was part of a bigger project to introduce a new passenger service route along the whole valley - Stannington-Wadsley Bridge-Parkwood Springs-Sheffield Wicker (Victoria) and possibly on to Rotherham or Chesterfield. Such a service would require a significant subsidy as I cannot imagine it being commercially viable.

Therefore a much more sensible solution would be to introduce a shuttle bus from the city centre and possibly from Hillsborough. Or maybe a route 53a Sheffield-Hillsborough via X-Mountain.

I think regardless of what public transport is provided, such a development would require a significant car parking facility, so I would assume the road would be upgraded to service the car park anyway.

What it needs is to develop slowly into a theme park on the scale of say Alton Towers, by having Rollercoasters etc. It'd make more families go there thats for sure!

Thorpe Park started as "Just a water park" and look at it now!

Originally posted by duffman
Sheffield is set to get a theme park in a 30 acre plot of land at Parkwood springs next to the ski village, the park "X-mountain" is estimated to create 600 jobs. Plans include restaurants, hotel, bars, appartments and possibly an amphitheatre.
The park itself will have an alpine feel, with an indoor snowdome and state of the art rides.
The park could open within 3 years and will be built in phases.
Plans are subject to grants and funding.

I think one suggestion was to have a cable car running to the park (like Alton towers), from where i'm not sure. I just fear it's issues like this (transport and roads) that could prevent it from going ahed, hope it doesn't as I think this will be a great attraction in Sheffield for years to come.

A theme park in Sheffield? w00t!

It just doesn't seem the right place to build a theme park to me. As more than one of you have said, access is extremely poor.

As you would expect most of the outside visitors to come off the M1 to get there, it would be a nightmare find it using the current road system.

Location of such an adventurous project needs thinking about very carefully. Unfortunately planners are not reknowned for this.

It should be nice if you close your eyes to the breakers yard,waste oil yard and fly tipping or would that be part of the attraction ?.

If you get bored of the park there is a massage parlour just down the road,all good family fun I am sure.

Yes, it's almost pythonesque looking at it this way. You simply could not find a worse approach to a theme park.

Better entry would be gained via Cookswood Road,the playing field would make an ideal parking area,however pubic transport is not all that good.

So it looks like the massage parlour it is then

Yea, but remember that the people proposing it aren’t Planners, it's the Ski Village's owners, and they own the Ski Village.

It's not a proposal for a theme park; it's a proposal to develop a theme park at the Ski Village. There isn't another location on offer.

Originally posted by duffman
I think one suggestion was to have a cable car running to the park (like Alton towers), from where i'm not sure. I just fear it's issues like this (transport and roads) that could prevent it from going ahed, hope it doesn't as I think this will be a great attraction in Sheffield for years to come.

They're on about having some kind of cable car system here in sheffield eventually anyway, there was something in the Star about it a while back.

If you look at road access to Alton Towers though, it's a right nightmare. You have to go down all the windy lanes before you get there.

yeh thats true but the area around Parkwood springs is a total eyesore,this are in itself is in urgent need of development.
In paticular is Neepsend,Shirecliff is not too bad and depending how much was going to be developed could even be accessed via Herries Road.
In reality the best access option would be off Penistone Rd round the back of the dog track,but even that is in need of some development.

In gaining access this way you would have the use of a large number of bus routes as well as th tram from Hillsborough.
I wish the project well as we are in need of something like this to further boost the number of visitors and hope when it is developed common sense will prevail.

Hopefully investment in such a development will spearhead further investment in the regeneration of the area, then perhaps the approach might not be so ugly?

Access will be a nightmare and in the summer traffic will be shocking. It's bad enough around there as it is, it's a location that is surrounded by traffic (Penistone Road, Rutland Road etc) most of the day. I have to pass through that traffic and it pi$$es me right off sitting in it, anymore would be a nightmare.

what do they mean by theme park? rollercoasters and other rides?? I cant see them allowing that in Sheffield, if they wont let IKEA build a store!

The reason they won't allow Ikea to build a store off the Parkway is it breaches planning guidelines about out of town shopping developments, and concern it would add to the Meadowhall effect of sucking life out of the city centre.

I believe the council have suggested an alternative site in the Castlegate area.

Now an alpine themed leisure park based around an existing ski facility is not something that can be put in the same category, the questions that are likelty to be asked is whether is disrupts residents or businesses in the area, whether is could damage the economy of the area, whether it is a location that has been categorised for different use in the local plan etc etc.

As far as I can think the only negative effect on the local area this development would have is causing traffic congestion, otherwise it can only be a good thing - better local facilities, attracting people to the city and spending money in the city, and creating jobs.

I recently visited the indoor ski slope in Leeds. Even though it is much shorter than the Sheffield slope, the soft snow is much nicer to fall over on!

I think this new development in Sheffield is supposed to be allong the same lines (indoors with snow), and if it is a simmilar length as the current site then it would be much better than the Leeds one.

CF.

Has anyone on here visted the ski village as i dont know any1 who has?

Once, but it was about 5 years ago now! Back then they only had that horrable honeycomb matting that you realy didn't want to fall over on. Now I believe they have a continious form of matting, a bit more like a very slippy carpet. I guess I should go check it out again sometime.

Anyone else?

I currently visit the ski village on a weekly basis, taking a group up there. Good luck to them, it's a fantastic idea - but I'd rather they spent a bit of time and energy learning how to run the business that they already have. Organisation up there is non existant, prices that I've been quoted change on a daily basis (and then they bill you something different altogether.)
If there was a local competitor, I wouldn't be going to the ski village - although all the instructors that we've had have been good.

yeah I think the theme park proposal is generally good for the city. Theme parks have been proven as one of the most inclusive leisure experiences which appeal to families and youth groups alike. As long as issues such as public transport, safety and prices are dealt with in an equal liberal manner then why not....and the key is inclusion will the theme park be a x games elitist US-MTV influenced playground for the boarders or will it be for the family and groups not 'into' x-sports..this is the key especially if public money is invloved xr

Used to work at the Ski Village and know most of the people there, the chances of this happening are slim to non existent - Tim and John have these plans but they rarely get anywhere. Still waiting for the static bungee, the alpine lodge apartments etc.

Info about X-Mountain here (http://www.sheffieldtoday.net/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=58&ArticleID=721610)

Soz if this has already been seen. :)

We will be lucky to get a couple of swinging chairs let alone an 80 mil theme park lol.

If it should make things a bit better down Neepsend and bring in more cash without causing too much disruption, then why not?

I Heard that the theme park only had rides for such as under 12 year olds is this true??

I very much doubt they would build an entire 80 million pound theme park just for under 12's.

Originally posted by fuzbuz
I Heard that the theme park only had rides for such as under 12 year olds is this true??

No that will be Adventure Mountain that's due to open April 2nd - it was going to be April 1st but they changed it as they didn't want people thinking it was an April Fool - that's how reliable the Sky Village are......

Sounds like a fantastic idea and want to redirect some of the negative feedback but you cannot avoid the issue of access.

No chance...

Shame tho...

Are we talking of the council landfill site?? I know there's plenty of land around there but is it all previously landfill?

As for the name - suggests X-games style from the name. Are we talking a proper theme (alton towers) park or just an extension to the ski village/skate park stuff?